U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive to attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, New York, U.S., September 23, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Trump biographer Michael Wolff provided an update on his ongoing lawsuit with Melania Trump in a Daily Beast article and on his Substack late Thursday, confirming details that had only been speculated about.
First, Wolff reviewed his findings from earlier this week: the first lady doesn't live anywhere near the White House.
"Their relationship is remote at best," Wolff told Daily Beast executive editor Hugh Dougherty.
Wolff has been involved in an ongoing federal lawsuit with Mrs. Trump after she sued him for defamation, seeking $1 billion. The defamation in question concerns Wolff's allegations about a connection to trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, once a friend of her husband's. The Trumps deny Wolff's claims.
The Trumps want to move the suit from the New York court where Wolff lives because they allegedly live in Florida. Wolff, however, disputes this, saying that Mrs. Trump has been living in New York, not Florida. When their son went to New York University, numerous reports said Mrs. Trump moved back to Trump Tower.
Regardless of whether Mrs. Trump lives in New York or Florida, Wolff said it's clear the Trumps don't live anywhere near each other, which isn't normal for first ladies of the United States.
"Basically, she has never left New York. She is trying to live the life of a superstar in New York," Wolff alleged.
Wolff said that Mrs. Trump is at work "starting a new business life in New York City and it is a way to exploit her relationship with the president of the United States, while actually distancing herself from the president of the United States. So, building a kind of Melania brand company, I suppose that's what it is—a way for her to gain financial independence and also geographic independence from the president of the United States."
Wolff made it clear that even during the four years between administrations, she was largely in New York, and he spent his time in Florida.
One reason it's important, Wolff said, is that it "is a direct challenge to a White House which has carelessly and unilaterally used its power to go after anybody whose voice and views it disagrees with."
"You think you have free speech? Well, you don't if we say you don't," he added.
He also noted that in New York and many other states, there are anti-SLAPP laws. SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. These are suits aimed at silencing people. If the Trumps sue Wolff in New York and the judge agrees that this is a SLAPP case, Wolff can launch his own lawsuit and the Trumps must pay him for their legal costs.
Wolff also said, "This lawsuit provides a pushback model" for others fighting the Trumps. "It's illegal to use the legal process only for the purposes of intimidation and, in this case, intimidation about free speech."
What the Trumps have done with their lawsuit, however, is open the door for Wolff to ask in court, "What did you know? When did you know it? What did you do?" And they can do it all under oath.
So, not only could Wolff get to the bottom of the Trumps' relationship with Epstein, he could gather a lot of additional information about their life as well.
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